I Want To Know Your Plans
by deanimal
Summary: What happens when the walls of Gibbs' tough marine exterior begin to crumble and let in our favorite forensic scientist? Definitely Gabby.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything NCIS related other than the DVDs. Please review. I'm new at this, so constructive criticism is welcome.

Gibbs tiredly walked up the few steps of his porch while subconsciously searching for his keys in his pants pocket. It had been another rough week, that made it the- what, third in a row? As he silently opened the door, all of his thoughts focused on getting changed and working on his boat for the rest of the night. Gibbs is a simple man with simple tastes. He doesn't need intense scenes in movies or television to help him relax at night. All he needs is a bottle of bourbon and his boat. As he made his way up the stairs to change, Gibbs thought about the million and one things that happened this week to make him rush home to get away from it all. Child molesters, dead sailors, dead marines- he just wanted it all to disappear. Too tired to dwell on the overly eventful week, he stripped down to his navy boxer briefs and immersed himself in his drawers to find a pair of sweats and a comfortable tee. After searching for several minutes, Gibbs decided two things- one, he really needed to do laundry. And two, the clothes he found would have to suffice.

Making his way into his basement, he reached over to grab his sanding block and once again started to sand away the imperfections in the wood and also in his life. Nothing was really wrong with his life, per say, but the cards he has been dealt throughout his life left him something to be desired. Maybe if he sanded the rough wood long enough, it would serve as some sort of penance and be forgiven for something he must have done in a former life. 'I was probably a bastard to the wrong person,' he thought. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. 'Really ticked someone off.' Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

Somewhere between the self-loathing and the sounds of the sandpaper scratching against the wood, Gibbs heard the faint sound of his cell phone ringing upstairs. Grumbling something incoherent under his breath, he took the steps two at a time to catch the caller before they hung up. Without even looking at the caller ID, he flipped open the cell, putting it to his ear, "Gibbs."

"Hey, Boss! You seem a little out of breath. Did I catch you in the middle of a hot date?"

"DiNozzo!" He knew he shouldn't have picked up the damn phone.

"Sorry, Boss. We've got another case. Marine Sergeant Leon McCafferty didn't show up for work this morning. Works on base at Quantico in Research and Development for a new high class weapons system. A buddy called his house to see if he was sick, when he didn't get an answer, he drove over on his lunch break to find the house trashed."

"Then why are we just hearing about this now? It's after 1900."

"His buddy kept hoping he could get in touch with him. He didn't want to cause alarm if there was no need."

"Okay, I'll be there in twenty. Call McGee and Ziva, have them meet you there. I'll call Abby and Ducky."

"You really think we're gonna need Ducky on this one? We don't know anything yet, and the friend never saw his body at the house."

"I'm going to have him help Abby in the lab a bit unless we find that we need his services elsewhere."

"Got it, Boss," but it didn't matter. Gibbs had already hung up the phone and once again made his way up his creaky wooden stairs to change for the third time that day and go back to work.

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Tony, Ziva, and McGee surprisingly made it to the sergeant's house before Gibbs. They had taped off the doorway and begun photographing the crime scene before he even stepped foot into the quaint one story house. Gibbs let his eyes rake over the living room while his team worked; taking in all there was to see- side table toppled over with a lamp smashed beside it, books thrown across the room, television most likely broken and no longer sitting on its stand. It was then that something caught his eye- a blood stain on the carpet underneath some of the debris that floated around the room. "McGee!"

"Yeah, Boss."

"Photograph over here. I've got a blood stain."

As the team moved closer to inspect the stained carpet, Tony looked at Gibbs and asked, "You thinking he was kidnapped?"

"It's entirely possible. That stain isn't large enough to make me assume he's dead."

"What if he's just trying to get out of the Corps or has done something illegal and is trying to make sure no one finds him?"

"He wouldn't have made it to sergeant if he didn't like the Corps, DiNozzo."

"I guess we'll have to see what Abby has to say about that blood when we get it back to her."

Tony had gone back to bagging and tagging anything pertinent to the case while Ziva stopped her sketching to stand next to him. She whispered, "Do you think it is such a good idea for Gibbs to be working on a case so soon after tying up the last one?"

"The phrase is 'wrapping up' and I don't see why not. We were all on the last one with him."

"Yes, Tony, I was there, too. But after putting a child molester behind bars, I think Gibbs needs a little break."

"I agree, but there's not much we can do. Director wanted us on this one, so that's what we got."

"Could we focus on the case at hand for five minutes instead of deciding whether _YOU_ think _I_ am capable of doing my job, Officer David?" Gibbs asked from across the room. Even all of her training with Mossad hasn't given her the advantage of speaking without Gibbs knowing every word she said. As she thought about it, she thought that Gibbs should teach them at Mossad exactly how he pulls that off. Only after hearing her name does Ziva snap back to the task at hand. She blushed somewhat sheepishly for being caught daydreaming at a crime scene.

"What's the matter, Ziva? Thinking about me again?" Tony asked with a smugger smile than usual.

"Actually, I was thinking that Gibbs should teach me how he knows what we say all the time. I think it will help me be a better Mossad Officer."

"Do you really think he'd actually tell you?"

"No, I guess not." Ziva turned to finish sketching the crime scene and hoped that Tony didn't catch her steal small glances back towards his direction. The previous daydream she could explain, but the one she often had of Tony was one she knew she had to keep quiet. Besides, nothing could ever happen between the two of them because of Rule #12. If only that one rule out of the fifty that Gibbs was attempting to teach her could be broken, then maybe she could explore the other side of Tony that she has been witnessing for the past several months…

The team quickly finished with the crime scene and headed back to headquarters to start processing the evidence. Since Gibbs had met them there, he drove his own car back to the naval yard. But to Tony and McGee's dismay, Ziva drove back in the truck. Surprisingly, they made it to the naval yard at almost the exact same time.

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McGee brought the box of evidence down to Abby's lab immediately after they reached NCIS. As soon as the elevator doors opened, his ears were flooded with the sounds of heavy metal and even heavier bass. McGee tried to shout out Abby's name in the seemingly empty lab, but soon realized he couldn't even hear himself. Placing the box on the nearest table, he walked over to the stereo to turn off the deafening music. Suddenly, McGee heard a muffled, "Hey! I was listening to that!" from somewhere in the lab. He searched all over the floor until he found two infinitely long creamy legs with black knee-high boots and an impossibly short plaid skirt. McGee scolded himself for thinking about Abby that way. They had been just friends since Abby broke things off between them a few years back. But he couldn't help but think that he was only a man.

"Abby, what are you doing down there?"

"While I was waiting for you guys to come back with evidence, I decided to do some of the annual maintenance work on Major Mass Spectrometer. You actually got here just in time! I'm finished." Abby wriggled her way out from behind the large machine showing her black v-neck shirt with a skull and crossbones and a mesh shirt over top. McGee tried not to drool- really, he did! But there was always something about Abby that made the blood flowing through his veins rush to one general part of his anatomy- and it wasn't his heart. Noticing the drool practically falling from McGee's lips, Abby said, "So Timmy, whatcha got for me tonight?"

McGee shook himself out of his sudden daydream and began explaining the case to Abby. After a few minutes, Tim gained full consciousness and asked, "Abby, where's Ducky? I thought Gibbs said he was calling the both of you back in tonight?"

"Oh, he's going to be a little late. He was out with a doctor he met at the latest ME's conference when Gibbs called. He let him finish his date and asked him to come in afterwards."

"I wish Gibbs would let me finish a date instead of going to a crime scene…"

"But it's not Ducky's job to analyze the crime scene, McGee. It's yours; unless you no longer want your job?" Gibbs had breezed into the lab with a large coffee in one hand and an even larger Caf-Pow! in the other. Abby jumped up and down as Gibbs passed her the caffeine-y goodness. He turned to McGee and said, "I want to know everything about Sergeant McCafferty by the time I come back upstairs." And with that, McGee practically ran back upstairs to get back to work. Gibbs then turned to Abby, "Got anything?"

"Gibbs! I just got the evidence like thirty seconds ago! I'm not even done sorting through it all yet. I need to separate the things that have prints from the things that go in the mass spec…" but she stopped short when she saw the ghost of a smile creep across his face. "You're messing with me, aren't you?" Only, it wasn't really a question. Now he was really smiling at her. No matter how bad a day is going, Abby can undoubtedly put a smile on his face.

"How long, Abs?"

"Well, considering the number of prints I have to run through the database, we're looking at a solid twelve hours. But I always have something for you before then, my silver haired fox!"

"Do you talk that way with all your bosses, Abs?"

"Only the ones I want to sleep with." She gave him her best seductive smile and a wink for good measure. For a split second, he froze. 'Did she just say what I think she said?' He gave her an amused look before turning around to walk out of the lab.

"Is that a 'no'?"

Gibbs got back into the elevator to get back up in the bullpen, but all he could hear in his mind were Abby's words to him. He and Abby had always been very close since she came to NCIS. He knew he had feelings for her, but he assumed a dirty old marine was the last thing she'd want. So over the years, he covered his feelings with father-like protection. And even though Abby had often flirted with him on a daily basis, he never thought that she could be serious about liking him as anything more than a father figure. The ride in the elevator wasn't quite long enough for Gibbs to clear his head, but figured that his thoughts and feelings towards a very sexy and alluring forensic scientist would have to wait until his sergeant was found.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

A/N: So these first two chapters clearly have no need for the 'M' rating I'm giving my story, but it's definitely going to need it later on. Also, I'm going to be away for a few days visiting family, so there definitely won't be another chapter up until after I get back on Monday. Thanks for the people who reviewed. I'm just hoping you guys aren't disappointed as to where this story is going. Please review for this chapter!

And now, back to the story…

Gibbs walked out of the elevator with purpose in his stride. He rounded the corner between Tony and Ziva's desks, but found it slightly unnerving that the usual banter coming from the two was nowhere to be found. He glanced at each of them noticing that these past few weeks not only put a strain on him, but on his team as well. Without realizing it, his mind drifted off to the previous case. Dead girls between the ages of six and ten had been found all over a Navy base. Most of the girls had been daughters of sailors. Breaking the news to all those families left Gibbs' heart yearning to take their pain away. He knew what it was like to lose your little girl…

McGee glanced over at Tony. They had all been staring at Gibbs since he walked up to his desk but hadn't sat down. He seemed to be staring off into space. Not knowing if Gibbs was sleeping while standing or completely zoned out, McGee cleared his throat causing Gibbs to jump slightly. Realizing what had happened, Gibbs barked at them, "Well don't just sit there! Tell me about McCafferty."

Tony was the first to recover and sprang to life. "Sergeant Leon McCafferty, thirty-one, never been married, no kids. Neighbors said he mostly keeps to himself but he's never been a problem.

Ziva decided to jump in at this point because McGee still looked like a fish out of water. "We checked his credit cards and phone records. Credit cards have not been used since Wednesday, and the last call on his cell was from a woman named Catherine Carmichael. She left a voicemail apologizing for having to cancel their date tonight."

Finally, McGee recovered the proverbial ball. "Since we couldn't find his car at the house, I put a BOLO out on it. The car is a vintage 1966 Ford Mustang."

"Probie! You didn't tell me the sergeant has the car of the gods! Damn! It must be amazing…"

"DiNozzo, why do I always have to bring you back on point?"

"Sorry, Boss."

"I want to know why someone would want to kidnap the Sergeant," Gibbs stated as he walked out of the bullpen, slapping the back of Tony's head on the way. The team knew it was going to be another long night, so they slowly started typing away at their computers trying to find information for the case.

Gibbs needed to clear his head. Although the team had gotten the general background, it seemed as if they had nothing of any use. He guessed Abby's results would have to bring some light to the case. This thought brought his mind back to what Abby had said to him only a little while ago. He could see her clearly in his head with her pouty bright red lips and the curve of her mouth as she smiled at him. And her eyes- those stunningly brilliant green eyes were like little pieces of emerald colored heaven. They always seemed to shine a little brighter in contrast to her jet black hair and pale white skin. He would never admit it to anyone, but when he walked into her lab, his eyes appreciatively looked over her body. Her tight shirts and short skirts almost always leave him daydreaming in the elevator as he's leaving. But in the end, he always comes back to the idea that he is a complete bastard and could never be good enough for his Abby. One of these days, though, he is afraid he is going to lose control of his thoughts and emotions. And after what had been said today, he really had to make sure he kept himself in check. Little did he know about the thoughts and feelings swirling around inside of a particularly caffeinated forensic scientist.

'You'd think I'd be able to tell my best friend what I'm feeling after all these years. Well, I guess I sort of did tonight. And did I see desire in those normally crystal clear blue eyes of his? It was like his eyes had darkened on the spot when I mentioned having sex with him. Hinky.' Abby's body involuntarily shivered at the thought of his piercing blue eyes staring back at her wide green orbs. She suddenly had to sit down because her knees became weak. Fanning herself, she tried to focus on the prints on her screen running through the military database. But that only made her think of a pair of hands she wanted touching her body, slowly sliding down the sides of her small frame and stopping at her hips. She imagined his callused hands would be gentle like the love she had for him yet forceful like the marine that was drilled into his brain. Abby often thought about what it must be like to be loved by Gibbs. She tried to simultaneously think about his eyes boring into her, his soft yet callused hands, and his lips finding every part of her body. Unfortunately, it was too difficult to think about all of these intense feelings at once. The only way to concentrate after such vivid dreams was to…

Suddenly, there was a beep coming from her computer. Abby opened her eyes to find a match to the prints found in the sergeant's house, only it wasn't a hit from the military database like she has expected. The hit came from the terrorist database at the FBI. Abby froze for a second looking at the picture, studying his face. His name was Joshua Valentine, a Virginia native who has been under suspicion of arms dealing and treason. She quickly picked up the phone and dialed Gibbs' number. He picked up on the second ring, "Gibbs."

"Get down here, quick! We have a big problem, bossman."

"Be right there, Abs!"

Almost immediately after she hung up the phone, the sliding doors of the elevator opened and Gibbs rushed into the lab, "What's up?"

"Gibbs! How did you get down here so fast? I just got off the phone with you!"

"I was already on my way down here."

"I swear, Gibbs. You and I have to be connected by some sort of mind power that I have yet to understand."

"Abs!"

"What?"

"Didn't you just say we had a _big problem_?"

"Oh, right." Abby brought Valentine's record up on the plasma screen. "His name is Joshua Valentine, suspected for arms dealing and treason. He's got ties to about twenty different countries that would want to blow us up. Didn't you say that the sergeant worked in Research and Development of a new weapons system?"

"Yeah. They want to know all about the new weapon. Good work, Abs." As Gibbs turned from the plasma, he went to give Abby a kiss on the cheek. What he didn't know was at the exact same moment, Abby was turning her head to say something to her "silver haired fox." With no time to change his course of action, Gibbs kissed a surprised Abby on the lips. Realizing his lips were not on her cheek, he jumped back muttering a thousand apologies. Abby just smiled as the rosy color crept into his cheeks from the embarrassment of the situation. He could do nothing but stare at her. During that kiss, he felt his insides flip-flop while he was practically shocked through the lips from the electricity of the kiss. His phone let out a shrill ring, and he thanked whoever was looking out for him at that moment, "Gibbs."

"Boss, we got something!"

"What is it, McGee?"

"Monday morning Suzanna McCafferty, the sergeant's mother, was reported missing."

"Why do I always feel like we're getting our information later than everyone else?"

"She's a civilian, Boss. Metro Police had jurisdiction and was stone walling us."

"Well get down there and get me that case file! Bring Ziva with you."

"On it, Boss."

Gibbs hung up the phone and wiped a hand over his face. He knew what this bastard was trying to do. Valentine took the mother to make the sergeant talk, and when that didn't work, he began to torture her in front of her son to make him change his mind. Gibbs briefly wondered why kidnappers were suddenly so good at taking a marine against his will. "Hey Abs, did you get the results from the blood we found in the sergeant's living room?"

"Yes, but the blood was contaminated somehow. It's O, the same type as the sergeant's, but it's also the most common blood type."

"Thanks, Abs." Not wanting to repeat his earlier mistake, he just squeezed her hand before walking towards the exit.

"Gibbs…"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. He was really hoping it was going to be that easy. "Yeah?"

"Can we talk later?"

"You know you don't have to ask to talk to me. My place tonight?"

"Yeah, I'll bring the bourbon. Thanks, Gibbs." And with that, she walked over and gave him a hug and a peck on the lips. Gibbs was about to say something but decided against it until they had their talk later. He turned and walked out of the lab to hit the button for the elevator while Abby went back to processing evidence.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I wish I did, but then I wouldn't bother trying to get my degree in mechanical engineering.

A/N: So the previous chapters have been fairly "G" rated. I turned it up a bit, especially at the end. Most of the scenes from now on will be geared more in that direction. And please, please, please review? I would really like some feedback on this. And thanks to everyone who's reading!

Here we go...

For the millionth time that day, Gibbs' mind was on Abby. He tingled inside from the kiss they shared and from the fact that she had kissed him again before he left her lab. Before he could stop himself, his hand flew toward the emergency stop switch. The elevator halted and swayed slightly from the sudden lack of movement. Somewhere deep inside himself he knew he couldn't do this. This was _his_ Abby. She deserved so much more than he could ever give her in return. He had to let her down easy. There are just too many reasons why he shouldn't get involved. After realizing he was making the right decision for both of them, Gibbs flipped the switch again, sending him back to the bullpen with DiNozzo.

Tony sat at his desk "reading a report" while waiting for Gibbs to return from Abby's lab. He glanced at his watch noticing his boss has been gone for quite a while. Wondering what could be taking so long, Tony immediately imagined Gibbs on top of Abby, naked, on her futon. A small smile spread across his face as he imagined the thousands of explicit things they could be doing down there, and no one would ever know. Tony was so wrapped up in his little fantasy that he never heard the elevator doors 'ding' indicating that his boss was back from the lab. As Gibbs walked into the bullpen, he noticed Tony sitting at his desk with a Playboy magazine hidden inside a report folder and a big grin plastered across his face as he looked at nothing in particular. Sneaking up behind him, but in all reality just walking normally, Gibbs stood right behind him and whispered in his ear, "Whatever you are thinking about, DiNozzo, you better pray to God that it is relevant to this case."

Tony paled at hearing his voice so close to his ear. He wondered what Gibbs thought he was thinking about and was calmed slightly figuring that there was no way in hell he would ever guess what was really on his mind. But what Gibbs said next really made Tony wonder if he could actually read his mind.

"You think sex games are cute, DiNozzo?"

Tony couldn't even speak, "I…I…umm…"

_SLAP!_

"Thanks, Boss."

Gibbs walked back over to his desk as Tony sat there rubbing his head. No matter how many times Gibbs hit him, Tony still never got used to the headache afterwards. While waiting for McGee and Ziva to return from Metro Police with the case file, Gibbs checked his e-mail and asked for an update in the information.

"Well, we talked to the sergeant's CO and the buddy who called it in. His CO, Colonel Dwight Hanson, said nothing suspicious has been going on with the sergeant lately. Their project is highly classified and an information leak on this project could be catastrophic. The buddy, on the other hand, is Sergeant Henry Johnson. They work in the same department, and he says a few things have been a little 'hinky' lately." Gibbs' head shot up at the use of Abby's favorite word. This didn't go unnoticed by Tony, but he wasn't sure whether it was the use of the word 'hinky' or the fact that something was very clearly going on with the case. He liked to think it was because he used the word 'hinky.' And all Gibbs could think about is, 'Does DiNozzo know about Abby and me kissing?' Desperately trying to recover, Gibbs changed the subject.

"So what exactly has been going on over there? And where the hell are McGee and Ziva with that case file? Why does it seem like Abby is the only one doing any work around here?" Gibbs was furious. He really needed to get out of here and forget about these past few weeks. It was getting to be too much. He just wanted some time to breathe again. With a great sigh and a heavy heart, Gibbs stood from his desk and walked up the steps towards MTAC. He knew the director would be working late, just like the rest of his team. The screens went black when Director Shepard saw that Gibbs entered.

"Something I should know about, Jen?"

"It's need to know, Jethro. And this one I can do without you."

"Why am I on this case, Madam Director? You know how hard my team has been working, so why throw this one in my lap when we desperately need time to wrap our heads around everything that's happened."

Jenny could see in his eyes that there was something else bothering him. Yes, there was a new tiredness in him that was completely visible, but there was something else- maybe it was his voice? - that was pleading with her. He seemed to be fighting a demon within himself or some inner conflict that was tearing him apart. She had only seen him like this one other time. "So who is she?"

Gibbs just stared at her. He was hoping it wouldn't be so obvious, but he underestimated how well Jen knew him. Of course she would know. He had practically done the same thing with her in Paris a lifetime ago.

"Jethro, I know you. I know your stares better than even you. Now tell me, who is she?"

"It doesn't matter, Jen. Rule #12 is in place for a reason. I can't do it."

"Not everything has to follow your rules, Jethro. Your professional life is filled to the brim, but your personal life could use some work."

"What exactly gives you the right to analyze my love life?"

"When it affects your work, it becomes my problem."

"How is this affecting my work? I've been on overdrive for the past three weeks! That seems like the exact opposite of 'affecting my work.'"

"But the fact that you couldn't see until now that you need something more than spending every last minute in this building- _AND_ expect your team to feel the same way when they do have lives outside of this office- tells me that your personal life needs work."

"Jen…I just can't."

"I think you need to try something different from what you've been doing. Then maybe you can finally be happy with someone else again."

"I'm old, Jen. I was old for you, and I'm much too old for her. Besides, I don't need a relationship screwing with my head."

"She won't care about your age if you treat her right. You deserve to be happy, too, Jethro." Jen gave Gibbs a small smile to let him know that her words were true, and before he could say anything else to oppose what she just said, she got up and left. Gibbs sat there alone in the dark for a while. The technicians working communications in MTAC left long before Jen even left. He sat there thinking about everything she had said to him and everything it meant. He finally got up and left the deserted conference room. When he reached the stairs, he noticed DiNozzo was gone, and his desk was cleared for the night. As he flipped open his cell to ream him out, he noticed Jen joined him against the railing. "I sent him home, Jethro."

"How can I solve the case if you send my agents home, Jen?"

"It's no longer your case. I'm passing it off to Agent Alvarez. As of a half hour ago, your team is on a week's paid vacation- including Abby."

Gibbs did his best not to react, but Jen saw his reaction from a mile away. Now she knew who had been on his mind all this time, and she couldn't be happier for him. She had seen from the very beginning how he felt about her. From watching them communicate without words, to his gentle kisses on her cheek, everyone could see Abby was his special girl. Besides, Jethro knew better than anyone else when to be professional, almost to the point of being too professional.

"Go home, Jethro. Work on your boat, get some sleep, and tell Abby how you feel- just maybe not in that order."

Gibbs just shook his head as a soft smile played upon his lips. Leave it to Jen to be completely blunt about a touchy situation. He moved to walk towards the elevator until he felt a hand on his arm.

"She's waiting for you at your house."

Gibbs just gave her a curious look.

"You know Abby. If you think she won't be waiting at your house, then you don't know her as well as you think you do."

At that, Gibbs left. He barely remembered to stop at his desk to grab his keys and shut down his computer for the week. This will be the first week's vacation where he wouldn't be sneaking into the office to work on a report or just to 'check up on things.' No, this was going to be different; he could just feel it. Gibbs normally drove fast, but tonight he just couldn't wait to get home. But when he pulled onto his street, he was greatly confused and slightly hurt that he didn't see her hearse in its normal spot in front of his house. He was sure she would be here so they could have the talk she had asked for. So he turned his car around not expecting what he was about to witness.

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After Abby heard that they were getting a week's vacation for all the hard work they had been doing lately, she decided to go home and clean up before sprucing herself up to go talk to Gibbs. She had a feeling he was going to give her a million and one excuses why they shouldn't be together- why they shouldn't even try. So to relax a bit, she turned on some music and entered the bathroom wearing only her black bra and boy short underwear with tiny skulls all over it. As she turned the water on in the tub, she grabbed a bottle of her favorite bubble bath and placed two capfuls into the hot water. She gently stripped off the rest of her clothes and gracefully sat in the water.

Whenever she thought about Gibbs or he had been especially nice to her that day, Abby could never get it out of her mind. She would fantasize about the way he would make her feel if she were his. Her own thoughts began to make her hot and bothered, and she knew tonight was going to end like every other night. With one hand over the supple breast and the other sliding between her legs, she thought about all the times he had stood just a little closer than most people. Her nipple hardened at the thought, and she let her hand graze over it ever so lightly. Her other hand began forming small circles around her clit, and she had to hold herself back from bucking her hips into the touch. Ever so quietly, she whispered his name, "Gibbs…"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I clearly own nothing. :sad face:

A/N: I'm so sorry this took me so long to post. I was away for a few days again, and then once I got back, a bunch of things stated taking over my life. I made this one a little longer because everyone was so patient with me. Please, please, please review. I absolutely love to hear from you. Even if you think you have nothing of importance to say, tell me anyway!

PS- We reached over 1,000 hits back on Friday! I was so excited, so let's keep it going!

Now, back to the drama...

Gibbs arrived at Abby's house and could hear her music from outside the door. He tried knocking on the old wood door, but he knew she would never be able to hear him in all that noise- hell, he could hardly hear himself! He checked the door, but it was locked. 'Good girl,' he thought. After he came to her house and was able to walk right in, he thoroughly scolded her. She had locked the door ever since. Gibbs pulled out the key she gave him and turned it in the lock. As he walked into her house, he casually looked into her living room and kitchen, but could not find her anywhere. He turned down the music blasting from the stereo in the living room and continued to check her house. Suddenly, he saw the light on in the bathroom with the door cracked. He was about to knock when he heard a rapid splashing of water and Abby saying his name. Afraid that she was in trouble, Gibbs opened the door, and Abby screamed out his name as she came. Gibbs was hard at the sight and softly cleared his throat to get her attention as she softly moaned coming down from her orgasm. Abby practically jumped out of the tub when she realized someone else was in the room with her. Once she recognized it was Gibbs, her normally pale skin turned a slight pink at her embarrassment. Gibbs could barely think straight, but couldn't take his eyes off the miles of exposed creamy white skin. He tried to explain his presence, "I knocked, but the music was too loud- I let myself in with the key."

"I'm sorry for the loud music. I was just trying to get cleaned up before I came over to see you."

"I should let you get dressed, or should I just go?"

"No! Don't go! Just give me a minute to get changed. Grab a drink from the fridge. You know where everything is."

Gibbs quietly shut the bathroom door and made his way to the kitchen. He didn't get anything from the fridge- even though his throat was completely parched- and sat at the table trying to calm the erection that was throbbing in his pants. Two minutes later, Abby came bounding out of her bedroom clad in a black tank top with a white button down shirt over top that was tied under her breasts. She also wore another plaid skirt with white knee highs and black boots. Gibbs thought she looked like a 'naughty school girl' that would be found in one of DiNozzo's magazines. This was _definitely_ not helping to calm the thoughts soaring through his mind. Actually, it was making things about a hundred times worse. He felt like DiNozzo, but knew his feelings for Abby exceeded anything he would feel in the bedroom. But he knew those feelings were strong, too. After a minute of trying to think of what to say, Abby practically said four things at once. "Gibbs, I'm sorry if you saw what happened in there. I was trying to get ready to come talk to you about us kissing in my lab, but when I think about things happening between us, I need to find some kind of release. Oh my god, I can't believe that just happened. I should get in my coffin and bury it…"

"_Abs!_"

"Yeah?" Abby felt like crawling under a rock. She couldn't believe Gibbs just witnessed her fantasizing about him and doing…what she was doing. 'Oh God…'

"How long, Abs?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you been doing…that?"

"Oh, umm…this was the first time." She didn't look even slightly convincing. Her eyes shifted to the left and down, just like all the liars he interrogated.

"The truth would be nice, Abs."

"Years. Probably since day one. I just knew you would never feel the same way."

"Abby, I have to use every last ounce of my self-control to not take you in my arms and show you how I really feel about you." Gibbs stood up from his seat and crossed the small kitchen in two strides to take her in his arms. He carefully lifted his hand and grazed his thumb along her cheekbone. Her eyelids fluttered shut at his touch and knew she had waited for this moment for a reason. His touch felt like electricity through her skin, and she never wanted him to let go. Opening her eyes and looking at him through her long thick black lashes, she looked as if she were pleading with him to take her. With a questioning look in his eye, he silently asked her for permission to kiss her. She lifted her chin and whispered, "You never have to ask, Gibbs."

With his right hand, Gibbs grasped the back of Abby's neck while his left pulled her body flush against his. Before she knew it, his lips crashed against hers with a passion neither knew he had. He was hungry for her. His tongue danced across her bottom lip simply begging for permission to enter the sweet depths of her mouth. She gladly opened her lips to give him access and quietly moaned at the way he tasted. They were soon lost in each other- hands groping, tongues caressing. What seemed like five minutes of pure heaven was actually more than thirty. Becoming weak in the knees, Abby pulled away to catch her breath. "Maybe we should take this to a room where we no longer have to stand?"

"Abs, before we do that, let's talk for a few minutes." He guided her back to the table and pulled a chair out for her suggesting she sit down. After sitting down in his own seat, Gibbs started a conversation with Abby that he only previously had in his dreams. "Abby, I want you to understand that although you very clearly have a great…effect on me, it's not the only reason I'm here."

"What do you mean, Gibbs?"

"I mean that everything I have ever done for you has always had a much greater meaning than I tried to lead on. I will never let anything happen to you. I'll go to heaven and hell to make sure you're safe."

"I love you, too."

He smiled. He knew Abby would understand what he was trying, and most likely failing, to say with his jumbled thoughts. She has always been able to understand him- part of the reason why he was so drawn to her. "How about I take you back to my house, and we do this right?"

"That sounds perfect."

"And Abs, make sure you pack clothes for a few days. I mean, we do have a week off."

"Who knew my silver haired fox was such a devil? What other surprises do you have in store for me? Maybe a fetish for handcuffs? Some dirty sex games hiding up your sleeve?"

"I told you before, Abs. With three ex-wives, I don't have the money for a fetish."

"Then I guess we'll just have to play with mine."

"I am _not_ having sex in a coffin!"

"Gibbs! Don't ruin the fun! Besides, that's not my fetish…" At that, she winked at him and left the kitchen to grab her things to bring to Gibbs' house for the week. She was so excited; she almost forgot to pack underwear. Giggling to herself, she wondered how much she would need underwear throughout the week, but decided it was best to pack it just in case. While she was going through her mental checklist, Gibbs sat at her kitchen table wondering if she could ever love him the way he loved her- if she could ever need him like he needed her. Her eyes sparkled as she told him she loved him. God, he loved losing himself in her eyes. If he could look into her eyes forever, he'd never let go of her electrifying stare. She interrupted his thoughts when she bounded back into the room with her infamous pigtails flying wildly. She was carrying a black duffle bag completely full of things she decided she would need this week. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Here, let me take your bag." He picked up her bag and almost dropped it from the sheer weight. "Geez, what the hell did you put in this thing?"

"Trust me, Gibbs; you're going to be happy I brought every single thing in that bag." She winked at him as she caught that desire spilling into his sparkling blue eyes. Gibbs just gave her one of his smirks as he reached for her hand to lead her back to his car. Packing her bag securely in the trunk, he walked swiftly to the driver's side door to get in the car and get back to his house as soon as he could. The drive from Abby's place to Gibbs' house was relatively short in reality, but tonight it seemed as if he were driving across the country. His nerves were clearly getting to the better of him, but he was taught long ago not to let his nerves show. Unfortunately, Abby knew him way better than that. She could see right through his stoic façade and wanted to ease his nerves. "Hey Gibbs, I haven't eaten since lunch around 1300, think we could grab something to eat?"

"How about some Chinese take out?"

"Oh! I haven't had Chinese in ages. Sounds awesome. Think we could get Tony to show off his delivery boy skills and drop it off to us?"

"Would you really want _DiNozzo_ to know about us? He can barely stop drooling thinking about his own sex life…"

"He wouldn't necessarily know anything is going on between us. I'm at your place all the time!"

"Not dressed like that, Abs…"

She looked down at her apparel and realized he was right. Not only that, but she hadn't packed anything that would be considered 'decent.' "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"You okay? If you changed your mind about any of this, I understand…" Gibbs heard some of the cheerfulness slip out of her voice. He desperately hoped she wasn't backing out of this now; he already felt so invested in this relationship.

"Gibbs! How could you ever think that? I've loved you for so long- I could never back out now!"

"I'm sorry, Abs. You just seem a little off. I figured you've been rethinking this."

"Actually, I was just thinking that I didn't bring anything appropriate to wear in case someone dropped by your house."

Gibbs just stared at her, almost unable to control himself. She subconsciously bit her lower lip, and it only made her lipstick look brighter and her lips fuller. A car horn honked from somewhere behind them letting them know that the light had turned green. Thankfully, his street was up on the right, so he wouldn't have to concentrate on driving when his mind was clearly somewhere else. Pulling into his driveway, he silently thanked God that his house was as close as it was and that he hadn't gotten into an accident on the way there. "I know this is going to be a little weird for a while, so how about we go inside, order some dinner, and see where things take us?"

Abby could see he was nervous, but he was still trying to be a gentleman. He wanted to give her as many chances to walk away from this as she needed, but wanted her to stay more than anything.

"Gibbs, I'm here because I want to be here. No matter what happens, I'm staying."

"Okay, let's get inside and order food."

"Uh, Gibbs, I just realized how late it is. Are they even going to be open?"

Gibbs checked his watch- it was 2330. "I don't think it'll be a problem." He then grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open to get her bag out of the trunk. Abby happily hopped out of the car and met him on his front porch as he searched for his keys the second time that night. After holding the door for her, Gibbs closed the door behind them and dropped her bag next to the door. Since this clearly was not Abby's first time at his house, she walked straight into the kitchen and opened the drawer with all his various take out menus. She quietly sifted through the drawer looking for the menu for the Chinese place until she felt his eyes upon her from the doorway. As a small smile crept across her face, she purposely leaned over the drawer resting her elbow on the counter and her head in her hand. She subtly swayed her hips back and forth as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. Recognizing this little show was contrived, Gibbs walked into the kitchen and whispered into her ear, "You don't have to try to be sexy, Abs. You just naturally are."

She turned around giving him a big smile and a peck on the cheek. If he wanted to take things slow with her, then she was going to oblige if that meant she could be with him at all. "Can I get vegetable lo mein?"

"You can get whatever you want, Abs."

Abby just batted her eyelashes at Gibbs because he always made her feel unbelievably special. He was the one thing she could always count on, no matter what. Gibbs called their order in and brought Abby into the living room to relax while they waited for food to get there.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Okay, so I'm assuming you guys think I went on strike or something, right? I am really so So SO sorry about the lack of updating for...a month. I don't really know what to say other than things got very out of hand on this end. But I'm back. And in case anyone forgot where we were, here's a refresher...Enjoy!

PS: Please review! I didn't realize that I had my anonymous review thing disabled before, but I think I fixed that. Thanks for all the support, everybody!

_Abby just batted her eyelashes at Gibbs because he always made her feel unbelievably special. He was the one thing she could always count on, no matter what. Gibbs called their order in and brought Abby into the living room to relax while they waited for their food to get there._

* * *

"Gibbs, who did they get to sub in my lab while I'm gone for the week?"

"Gee, Abs. We've only been away from the office for about an hour, and you're already thinking about going back. I think I'm insulted." Even as the words were playfully leaving his mouth, a smile spread across his face. He couldn't help but tease her; it was just the kind of relationship they had.

She glanced at him for a moment and thought of a hundred erotic things she could do with him while they waited for their food to arrive, but she understood that what they have is special and rare. So instead of jumping into this relationship bedroom first, she just decided that a somewhat chaste kiss was a better course of action. Abby reached up with her pale white hand and placed it on the cheek of her new lover, successfully turning his head to face her. She was captivated once again by his startling blue eyes that were obviously looking straight through her. She had never seen a more handsome man in her entire life than the one sitting next to her on this couch. Abby slowly leaned in and kissed him like she always has in her dreams- full of passion and love. Gibbs gently wrapped her in his arms as they kissed. Their kiss was less rushed than their previous encounter. At this point, they recognized that they had time to work up to the raunchy sex their bodies clearly wanted, but what they were sharing at this moment was much too precious to rush.

Gibbs slowly pulled her on top of him as their kisses intensified. They both seemed to seek a greater depth to this feeling. Without thinking, he brought his hands up to slide down her body and essentially learn her curves. His hands lightly brushed against her breasts, and she gasped at the feeling coursing through her nerves. Hearing her moan at his touch made him hard and only fueled the fire already burning inside of him. She could feel him getting bigger underneath her and brought her hands down to feel what she had been missing all these years.

Gibbs was mystified by his own mission of unbuttoning the white blouse she wore over the tank top. His fingers fumbled slightly over the knot tying the shirt together in the front, but soon the small cotton blouse was hanging loosely from her body. Finding the hem of her tank top, Gibbs allowed his hands to reach under her shirt and explore her body. He found the taut skin of her stomach intoxicating and reached up further to her black lace bra. Without even removing her bra, his hands brushed against the hardened peaks, and she broke her fervent kisses to moan into his ear.

At this point, Abby could no longer stand the sensations without exploring his body as well. Easily taking off his jacket, she moved toward the buckle of his belt. Releasing the buckle, Abby pulled the bottom of his shirts out from his pants. She separated herself from him long enough to remove the offending articles of clothing and then returned to her previous work. Her fingers slowly dragged their way down his chest, and she could feel his body reacting to her touch. As he wrapped her in his arms again, he sat up and moved to lie on top of her. He ran his hands along her calves and ever so slowly up her thighs…

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"You must be kidding me…" He knew their time together was too good to be true. Gibbs scrambled to get up and answer the door, not thinking he should put on a shirt. He opened the door to the usual delivery boy who just gave him a questioning look and told him the amount he owed. Making sure he stood in front of the boy's view of the living room, Gibbs passed the boy a twenty dollar bill and told him to keep the change. He made his way around the couch and placed the bag on the coffee table.

They sat in comfortable silence as they ate their dinner, but both rather annoyed they had been interrupted. After finishing their dinner and cleaning up the leftovers, Gibbs took Abby by the hand as he brought her from the couch towards the stairs. Along the way, he picked up her duffle bag and locked the front door. They crept up the stairs as silently as they could as the stairs creaked under their weight. Reaching his bedroom, Gibbs placed the duffle bag in the corner and flicked the lamp on which sat on the nightstand. He turned to face her and purposefully pulled out his cell phone and turned it off. Glancing at her to do the same, Abby scrambled as she searched through the duffle bag to find her bat phone. Finally finding it in one of the front pockets, she also turned off her cell phone. Gibbs didn't bother unhooking the house line. The only receiver was in the basement and knew it wouldn't interrupt them from two stories below. Convinced there was absolutely nothing left that could possibly disturb them, Gibbs pulled her to him once more. His hands grabbed her shirt and threw it from her body as he concentrated on removing her skin tight tank top. Once she was only wearing her black lace bra, her skirt, and her knee high socks, Abby decided to was her turn to take control. Quickly unbuttoning his pants, she released him from his fabric prison and let his erection free from his confining pants. He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of the pants as she pushed him onto the bed.

His hands went straight for her hips, and he found the small zipper on the side of her skirt. Abby began kissing his neck, inviting soft and low moans to escape from his lips. She felt her skirt come loose and wriggled herself out of it. Gibbs took this opportunity to flip her over and gain positioning on top. As his hands slid from her thighs, over her hips, and up her sides to her chest, he felt that he needed to see all the beauty her body contained. Almost without her noticing, he opened the front clasp of her bra and brushed aside the tempting black lace. He began to trail kisses down her jaw, to her neck, and down her chest. He then brushed his lips over her tightened nipple. She uncontrollably grabbed the sheets on the bed and balled them into her fists. A small smile danced across his face as he dragged his tongue around her nipple, but never quite touching it. Abby felt every part of his sweet torture and continually wanted more. Finally, both of his lips captured her nipple as his rough tongue raked over the peak. His hands reached down to remove her socks while his tongue swirled and his teeth grazed. Abby moaned loudly. She brought her hands up to his chest and let her nails run down his torso until she found the elastic to his boxer briefs. Her fingers burrowed their way under the elastic band and began to slowly peel them from his body. At this point, Gibbs was completely naked, and Abby only worse a very small pair of underwear which grew increasingly wetter as he caressed her skin.

To Abby's complete surprise, Gibbs made his way down her body and grabbed her underwear with his teeth, gently pulling it off of her. He kissed his way back between her thighs, appreciating how soft and smooth her skin was against his lips. Hovering over her body, he pressed his erection against her clit. Her arms pulled him closer and gently bucked her hips to heighten the sensation. She begged him for more as the sensations began to slowly build.

He couldn't deny her anything- not now, not ever. Gibbs was her personal sex slave. Whatever she could possibly ask for, he was going to do his very best to deliver. Pulling himself off of her, he placed his mouth barely a whisper away from her folds and gave her a questioning look with a quirked eyebrow. She peered down at him and said, "Gibbs, if you don't finish what you started, you will never be allowed to touch me again."

The questioning look in his eyes instantly vanished while his quirked eyebrow immediately lowered at the thought of never being allowed to touch her again. His lips lowered themselves to her folds, and his tongue raced into her sweet, musky center. As a precaution, his hands firmly held her hips in place so she couldn't buck.

Abby could barely breathe. She could feel the pressure increasing as his sucking and caressing became more incessant. For the hundredth time that night, she moaned his name through her soft red lips, "Oh, Gibbs…"

Almost not being able to control himself, he swiftly lined up his erection to her wet center and gently entered her. Her moaning became much more vocal as he slowly began a rhythm inside her. She was tight and wet, but that only made him want to please her more.

"Oh, God. Harder. Please, harder."

He obediently quickened his pace and allowed himself to penetrate deeper inside of her. She was screaming, pleasure spreading throughout her body. He could tell she was getting close from her nails clawing at his back and the way her muscles were tensing around his erection. With a few good thrusts, he pushed her over the edge, and she held on as waves crashed down around her. Thankfully, he came with her, and the way her walls tightened around him only increased his pleasure. He wrapped her in his arms as they both began to calm down. She felt a small sense of loss as he exited her. Their bodies were exhausted after such rigorous activities and three very long weeks. In almost no time at all, they were sound asleep with her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own anything NCIS related other than the DVDs and possibly a really sad obsession.

A/N: So I disappeared again. I'm sorry. I was taking a couple of summer classes and they finish on the 13th. I actually wrote some stuff to the story, I just hope you guys like where I'm going with this. Can I have some feedback please? I love reviews, and it really helps me know if I'm going in a direction you guys like. Okay, read to your hearts' desires. Thanks for reading!

And now, on with the show!...

The next morning Gibbs woke up from the sun shining through his curtains. 'That's strange. What time is it?' he wondered. When he glanced at the clock, he was shocked to see it read 8:07 am. Gibbs had been getting up at 0530 every morning for the past twenty-five years without fail, and after one night with Abby, he was getting up after 0800. He looked down at her silently sleeping form and wondered how he had been so lucky to have a woman like her love a grumpy old man like him. Trying not to wake her, he ran his fingers through the black strands of hair splayed across his chest. He became so lost in his thought that he didn't hear her breathing pattern change as she awoke.

She didn't want to move because she knew that when she announced her awakening he would stop playing with her hair. She found it incredibly relaxing to have him lazily drag his fingers along her scalp to the tips of each strand, but knew they couldn't stay in bed forever. Gibbs was finally roused from his daydream as he felt two large green eyes staring at him with great intensity. Looking back at her with his gentle blue orbs, he smiled and said, "Morning, Abs. How did you sleep?"

"That was some of the best sleep I've gotten in a long time. I basically passed out! We should do that more often!" She winked at him as she said this because she knew they would most definitely be doing that again- and hopefully soon. "You should have woken me when you got up."

"You looked so peaceful. Besides, I wasn't up long before you woke on your own. I'm going to bring up some coffee, don't move." He grabbed his robe from the inside of his closet door and wrapped it around himself before he left the room.

As she laid there still cuddled in sheets that smelled unmistakably like Gibbs, Abby wondered about what to expect for this upcoming week. There was no reason to get called into work; and even so, both of their cell phones were turned off and would most likely stay that way for the duration. She couldn't think of a single thing that could possibly ruin this week, so she was going to enjoy every last minute of it. Abby could hear the stairs creaking and knew he would be coming back with two mugs of coffee.

The door silently opened as Gibbs walked in with two steaming cups. Sitting up, she took the mug offered her and took a small sip. It was still too hot, but it tasted phenomenal. Strong, black, and full of caffeine.

"Do you have any ideas of something you wanted to do today?"

"Oh Gibbs, I can think of plenty of things to do without ever leaving this bed!" She gave him a wicked grin telling him exactly what she was thinking. But the look that crossed his face was not one that she had been expecting. She has been expecting him to give her a glare with desire filled in his eyes and maybe even give a quick comeback, but the worried look on his face only made her nervous. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Abs. I just want to do this right. I want you to know that I'm not doing all of this because of the way you look, but that I love the person I see inside of you."

"Gibbs! That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me! But I know all of that. I mean, if you were Tony, then I'd probably question it. But then again, if you were Tony, then I guess Tony would be you and that would be extremely confusing because then I wouldn't know who I was sleeping with and…"

"Abs."

"Hmm?"

He gave her the same look he always gave her when she rambled instead of giving him the information he wanted.

"Sorry. But honestly, I know that you love me. I can see it in your eyes and all over your face. I love you, too."

He could do nothing but gaze into her eyes and smile lovingly at her. She was everything he could have ever hoped for, and he prayed he wouldn't be foolish enough to screw this up. Ever since Shannon died, Gibbs hasn't been able to find the same kind of happiness he once had. And then one day several years back, this giddy forensic scientist strolled into his life without warning. She was beautiful with her tattoos, black lipstick, and sparkling personality. And from the very beginning, he knew he was the one destined to protect her. He swore he would never let anything happen to her.

Abby could see a whirlwind of emotions behind his still loving expression. No longer wanting him to continue this internal struggle, she opted to distract him with some normalcy. "Why don't we eat some breakfast? We probably need to refuel our bodies after last night."

"Okay, what do you want?"

"I'm thinking pancakes. Do you have the stuff to make them?"

"Yeah." He smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She happily accepted his usual sign of affection and watched as he rolled out of bed once again to make the trek back downstairs. Wondering if he even knew his way around his own kitchen, she searched through his drawers to look for a tee shirt she could slip on. She noticed that there was almost nothing in his drawers. So instead of putting her own clothes back on, she wrapped herself in the soft comforter and walked down the creaky stairs. As she rounded the corner to the kitchen, she peered around the doorframe to see Gibbs squatting in front of his cabinets looking for the skillet. Abby just giggled to herself as he looked lost in his own house. He could hear her giggles and hung his head slightly in his defeat.

"Here, let me help you."

"Abs, if I can't find it in my own kitchen, what makes you think you can?"

"Because, Gibbs, I actually use a kitchen." And with that, she pulled the skillet out of a cabinet across the room. He just rolled his eyes and moved to the refrigerator to grab the butter. She simultaneously moved throughout the kitchen with him and quickly prepared the batter. As he poured the batter onto the hot skillet in little Mickey Mouse shapes, he thought about how normal this felt. He imagined this is what everyone else did- you know, people who aren't daily tortured by the demons of their pasts. Part of him always wanted the normal lifestyle, but after losing his family, he never thought he'd get that back. And it's not that he didn't try. With three ex-wives, he obviously tried numerous times to find that happiness everyone else seemed to possess, but it was never the same.

Gibbs expertly flipped the pancakes as Abby set the little table in the corner. "Abs, why are you only wearing my comforter?"

"Because you need to do laundry."

"What does my laundry have to do with it?"

"I wanted to wear one of your shirts, but there weren't any left in your drawers."

"You looked in my drawers?"

"Well, yeah. I like the smell of your clothes."

"Who knew you liked the smell of sawdust, Abs?"

"I find it very sexy with your silver hair."

"Why don't you grab one of the sweatshirts out of my closet while I finish this up? I'll put some laundry in after breakfast."

Abby turned and walked out of the kitchen in search of a sweatshirt and maybe a pair of shorts. Gibbs dished out a few pancakes on each plate while she was getting changed. He smiled slightly at the sight of Mickey Mouse pancakes. He hadn't made these since Kelly died all those years ago. And ever since then, he just never saw the joy in making silly shapes out of his food.

His mind wandered and he briefly thought about all the things that happened to bring the two of them together now. The kiss. His talk with Jen. Walking in on Abby in the tub. That last thought made his cheeks redden slightly. Abby walked back into the kitchen cuddled into his bulky sweatshirt and noticed his blushing cheeks. She smiled because she figured she knew what he had been thinking about.

"When was the last time you made pancakes?"

"It's been a while."

"Well, I think the Mickey Mouse shapes are a nice touch." Part of her knew that the pancakes had been made that way out of an old habit, but didn't think it was the right time to bring up his former life with Shannon and Kelly.

"I thought you would appreciate it. You look good in my sweatshirt. I didn't realize I had a black NCIS sweatshirt."

"It was hidden towards the back of the closet, but it looked comfy. If you tell me where your dirty clothes are, I'll put a load in for you."

"I didn't invite you over here to do my laundry, Abs. Don't worry about it, I'll do it."

When they finished eating, Abby cleaned up as Gibbs went to start his laundry. She didn't mind doing some cleaning for him even though he insisted she shouldn't lift a finger while she was there. She just wanted things to be equal, including work to be done in the kitchen- and the bedroom. At this point, she had suds up to her elbows and a few bubbles floating around near her nose. She giggled as she blew more bubbles up with her hands. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist as Gibbs pulled her close to him nuzzling his face in her neck. Her skin felt so soft and smooth against his lips as he slowly trailed kisses down her jaw line to her neck. Her body leaned into his while she tilted her head to give him more access to the creamy white flesh of her neck.

"You almost done, Abs?"

"I just have to finish washing the skillet. Might take me a few minutes since some of the batter is stuck on."

"Let it soak. I have plans for us."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own NCIS or anything associated with the show, but I think it would be fun to make them do what I ask. )**

**A/N: So I've been a bad author again. I'm really sorry I haven't been on here much lately, but school just started up again and the love of my life just moved really far away. I just wasn't in the mood to write something exciting. Poor excuses, I know, but hopefully now that I sort of have a bit of a routine down, I'll have more time to write. As always, please review! I love to hear from you, so tell me what you think!**

**Without further adieu, on with the show...err...fanfic?**

Abby turned to see the sparkle in his eye and half smile on his face. He handed her a dish towel so she could wipe the water and suds from her arms. She followed him out of the kitchen and back up the stairs. He led her back to his bedroom only to walk through it to the connecting bathroom. He brought his hands to the bottom of the sweatshirt on her small frame and gently pulled it over her head. His eyes raked over her torso taking in her pale full breasts as she stood before him. But Abby's eyes had their own glint as she reached out to untie his robe. She moved the soft cloth away from his broad shoulders, and the robe fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. The only thing between them now was the boy shorts she wore on her hips. She hooked her index fingers under the elastic and pulled them down as she felt the cotton slide down her legs letting the garment fall to the floor.

Gibbs turned his back to her to turn on the water in the shower. He pulled her into the shower and let the spray run over her jet black hair. He chuckled silently as her hair was flattened against her head and water trickled into her eyes. She attempted to glare at him through her thick black lashes and short dark bangs, but found glaring to be extremely difficult. Gibbs apologized by pulling her close and kissing her neck with his arms wrapped around her. She accepted his apology by lightly digging her fingers into his chest and raking them down his torso. His body involuntarily shivered at her intimate touch showing goose bumps across his chest and down his arms. She could tell he was biting back a moan as eight vertical pink scratches appeared. Gibbs pinned her against the wall as his greedy hands reached for the pale skin of her breasts. Abby gasped at the pleasure coursing through her body and reaches for his muscular frame. She was surprised at the condition his body was in considering his age. He wasn't old by any means, but she was still surprised.

He lifted her left leg with his right hand and rough pressed his body against hers. She could feel his erection against her most sensitive areas. He was definitely ready for round two, and she would never deny him this simple pleasure. And even though she had been moaning in his ear, he wanted to make sure she was really ready for him. So as his mouth danced over her nipples, his hands went to work on a bundle of nerves located further south. His ministrations were leaving her breathless. She could feel his fingers slide in and out of her making her wet and wanting.

Not to be out done, she moved her hands to take him in hers and followed the same rhythm he was using on her. Neither thought he could have gotten any harder, but the feeling of her hands on him seemed to make every muscle in his body contract. He held onto her as waves of pleasure seemed to never end and wanted to take her with him on this ride.

She quickened her pace as she saw his jaw clench and knew his orgasm was approaching. Suddenly, he stopped. Fire blazed in his eyes, and she was confused why he would stop when he was so close.

"I want to be inside you when you come."

She let go of his erection and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her slightly. She locked her legs around his waist and slowly slid down the length of him until he was completely inside of her. They both gasped and moaned at the feeling the other was giving. Her fingers tightened around his shoulders as his rhythm became increasingly faster, and he dipped his head to take her nipple in his mouth. As his tongue swirled around her tightened peak, she could feel the pressure begin to build. She just wanted the release and bucked her hips into his, making him reach deeper inside of her. He could feel she was close. Her walls once again started to contract, and she was holding onto him tighter than before. His thrusts became harder and deeper until her screams could be heard throughout the entire house, and her walls clamped down on him like a vice. This was all he needed to be pushed over the edge and came hard into her.

They collapsed into each other and leaned against the wall for support. The once warm water had turned cold leaving them reaching for each other for warmth. Knowing they needed to get out and that they also needed to be clean, Gibbs grabbed the soap and began washing her creamy white skin. She washed his short silver hair as his hands roamed her soap filled body. They finished washing each other and quickly moved to get out of the shower to grab some warm fluffy towels.

By now, the clock on the nightstand read 10:50 am which meant they have been in the shower for over an hour- no wonder the water turned cold! He couldn't remember the last time he spent an entire morning making love in the shower. He had done so with Shannon before Kelly was born and maybe once or twice when she stayed at a friend's house, but hadn't done it since. Suddenly, Abby broke his train of thought.

"If we keep this up, I won't have any use for the fun things I brought." She gave him that wicked grin which she saved only for him as she thought of the many things she brought with her.

He smiled back. "Don't worry, we have plenty of time. It's only Saturday, and we have the whole week off."

Abby was relaxed by the idea that they had time to get to know one another. She knew what made this former marine tick, but she wanted to get to know him on a whole other level. She wanted to know exactly what he was feeling just by looking into his extremely expressive eyes. She wanted to be able to finish his sentences when talking about anything other than a case. But she mostly wanted him to love her the way she had loved him all these years.

Seeing that she was slightly distracted, he spoke gently to her, "You want to go out for a bit tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, a little bird told me that you like to help out at Habitat for Humanity occasionally."

"Yeah, I've been helping them out the past several years. I end up doing various odds and ends because I don't have a particular specialty."

"Then it's settled. We'll help out at the local site."

"Okay, but Gibbs, I don't have clothes that would be appropriate to do some hard labor in. I only brought things that I thought would be fun in the bedroom with the blinds closed." She gave Gibbs one of her best seductive smiles and looked at him through her thick dark lashes. He was amazed at how sexy she could look without all the black make up. Sometimes he wished she would just come into work without make up all together, but he also recognized that wouldn't be her style. He respects her style, so he kept these thoughts to himself.

"Don't worry, Abs. You can borrow some of my clothes. Let me just throw some more laundry in so we both have something to wear tomorrow."

Abby searched through her duffle for something to wear while Gibbs switched the laundry over and put a new load in the washer. But this time, he added the few garments Abby had used the night before. His laundry seemed more complete once he added the short plaid skirt, black tank top, and black lacy bra. This is what his life was supposed to be like. With a slight smile on his face, he made his way back upstairs to spend some quality time with the woman of his dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Clearly NCIS is not mine. If I had the powers to change that situation, I most likely would.**

**A/N: Okay people, I cannot express how sorry I am for abandoning this story for such a long time. I have to build a stupid plane for senior project, and fabrication is getting out of control. I swear, things just really aren't going my way. I will attempt to keep updating this story as often as possible. And I'm sorry for those of you who may have lost faith. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter. And as always, review!  
**

Gibbs quietly opened the door to his bedroom just as Abby was pulling her shirt over her head, and the elaborate cross on her back slowly began to disappear under the thin fabric. He froze at the sight of her; he could do nothing but stare at her silky pale skin. She captivated all of his senses as he as entranced by the way she moved, the way she smelled, and the way she whispered his name in his ear. But even as she stood here, completely unaware that he was obviously staring at her, she still left him completely breathless.

She suddenly turned to see his jaw tightly clenched and his eyes boring into her. He was obviously aroused by the sight of her, and she was surprised she had this much of an effect on him. Gibbs always seemed like he was completely unfazed by whatever Abby wore or said, no matter how provocative it may be. But now she could see that he had been showing his marine face. The stone cold façade that he had been showing all those years was slowly slipping away, and he was finally trusting someone else enough to show these feelings. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking deeply into his deep blue eyes. She could tell this was somewhat of a pivotal moment for him; that something had shifted within him to bring about this change in his exterior. Abby was grateful for this because it meant that she was finally getting through the thick stone walls around the deepest part of his heart. At this moment, she was becoming his on a whole new level.

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the past twenty-four hours, Gibbs stared into her bright green eyes and found what he had been looking for all these years- complete love and devotion. Every other woman in his life since Shannon had somehow let him down, but even this knowledge didn't help his constant guilt that he had let the relationship fail. He never imagined that he would find the missing piece of the puzzle in a quirky, hyperactive Goth from New Orleans, but oh how he loved her.

Subconsciously, his jaw relaxed and the corners of his mouth gently pulled into a small smile as he continually gazed in her direction. His arms snaked around her body and pulled her closer to him, rubbing small circles on her back. She accepted his hug and rested her head against the front of his robe hoping she could hear his heartbeat through the thick terry cloth while he rested his head on top of hers. There was no other place in the world that she loved more than in his arms. It was safe, warm, comforting, and full of love. Yes, she knew that he loved her whenever he would put his arms around her to comfort her or to keep her safe, but she never thought that the depth of his feelings could reach this magnitude. She reveled in the feeling of knowing he loved her as much as she always imagined in the numerous daydreams she had of the two of them. Yes, this was bliss.

Gibbs lifted his chin from her head and looked down towards her after placing a small kiss in her dark hair. Abby tilted her chin in his direction and peered at him with her brilliant green eyes slightly hiding behind her beautiful lashes. Finally, he spoke, "I don't think I could let go of you today if I tried."

"Good, I don't want you to let go. How about we have a movie marathon on your couch?"

"Abs, you know as well as I do that the only tv in this house is in the basement and it barely has cable, let alone a vcr."

"Wow, Gibbs. Tapes? I was thinking more along the lines of a DVD. I really need to get you out more."

"Thanks, Abs."

"And it's totally not a problem that you don't have a DVD player; I brought my laptop with me and a few select movies that I think even you will like."

"You want to set up while I get changed?"

"Well, I would much rather watch you get changed, but I'm afraid we'll never leave the bedroom if I don't leave you alone." She flashed that devilish grin at him as desire flooded her eyes.

He inched his face closer to hers and whispered in her ear, "We have all the time in the world, Abs. No need to rush. Besides, who says we have to watch it downstairs? Set it up on the bed." His soft lips pressed themselves against her cheek as he has been doing for years, but they lingered on her porcelain skin for much longer than usual. As he pulled away, she reluctantly released him to allow him to get dressed for their day together. Abby then turned to grab the few things she needed for their movie marathon from her giant duffle bag. It was then that she noticed her bat phone on the nightstand still turned off from the night before. As she thought about it, she didn't tell anyone she was going to be spending the week at Gibbs' house, so if anyone was trying to get a hold of her for any reason, they would just keep getting her voicemail or her answering machine at home. Deciding it would be best to at least check for messages on her phone every once in a while so no one sends out the marines to look for her, she turned her phone on. The phone came to life with a shrill cry from a bat as the screen welcomed Abby back. Quickly scanning through her messages, she found one from McGee asking her what she was doing this weekend, another from Tony asking her if she wanted to join him and Ziva for a drink, one from her friend Sasha to see if she was going to make it to the club tonight, and one from Palmer just to say hello.

Gibbs looked at her curiously as she looked through her phone on the edge of the bed. He was just pulling a sweatshirt on as he stepped out of the closet and was about to ask her if she was ready when he noticed nothing was set up yet. "Trying to find a way to get out of here?"

"No! I was checking my phone for any messages in case someone was trying to get a hold of me. I realized that I never told anyone that I was spending the week here, so people might think I was kidnapped or something if they keep trying to call me and either get my answering machine or my voicemail. I figured it was easier to just let people know I was busy."

"Don't worry, I was only teasing. I checked my messages this morning when I got coffee."

"How? I was lying on the side of the bed with your phone. I never saw you grab it." She suddenly whipped her head around to find that his phone was no longer on the nightstand as it had been the night before. "You are getting so much sneakier as you get older!"

"And better looking…" He grinned at her. He loved to get her flustered after doing something completely underhanded. Gibbs watched as her nose scrunched up and her brow wrinkled in confusion. She was running through all the time she spent with him and not once did she notice the phone go missing. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's get this marathon started. Now set that thing up, I'm going to grab some stuff from the kitchen."

Abby plugged her laptop into one of the free outlets and booted up the computer. She brought a large selection of movies with her from _Silence of the Lambs_ to _Zoolander_ because she didn't know what kind of movie he'd like. After making a decision, she popped the DVD into the drive and waited for Gibbs to come back. She wondered what was taking so long and walked to the door to find out what he was doing. As the door opened, Gibbs stood there with his bottle of bourbon, two glasses, water bottles, a bag of chips, the leftover Chinese food from last night, two forks, and a blanket from the living room thrown over one of his shoulders. Abby automatically took several things out of his hands and helped him place everything on the nightstands next to the bed.

"Gibbs, if you needed help, all you had to do was ask."

"Now where have I heard that before? Actually, I wasn't planning on bringing all these things, but I really didn't want to have to go back down for another trip." He pulled the blanket from his shoulder and threw it on the bed, waiting for her to get settled into a comfortable position. She fluffed the pillows behind her and scooched herself over to the middle of the bed expectantly waiting for him to join her. He somewhat flopped onto the bed beside her and pulled the blanket over the two of them. She curled her body next to his and gently melted into him. Her head rested on his chest while her right leg wrapped around his. His arm found its way protectively around her body, and his lips placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Why don't we get the movie started?"

Abby moved the wide screen closer to them and clicked 'play' in the media program. The previously dark screen sprung to life as bright colors danced across the screen while the opening credits played. Gibbs would be the first person to admit that he wasn't up to date on the latest movies or television, so he wasn't at all surprised that he hadn't heard of half of the movies Abby brought with her to educate him. And try as he might to pay attention to the screen, he couldn't seem to peel his eyes away from her. Maybe it was the scent of her on his pillows or the fact that she had her head resting on his chest, but he couldn't bring himself to watch the movie. He was just happy she was there with him.

Her right arm was gently wrapped around his middle as a way of holding on to him, and his eyes traced their way from her fingertips all the way up to where her arm remained hidden under the sleeve of the t-shirt she was wearing. From there, his eyes slowly ran down her side and over her lean thigh to the curve of her knee where her leg wrapped itself around his. In her own way, she was claiming him as hers, and there was nothing in the world that was ever going to change that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own NCIS. I really wish I did, then I wouldn't have to worry about finite element analysis.**

**A/N: Okay, people. I am obviously really bad at this updating every so many weeks thing. This is my piss poor attempt to keep you guys interested in the story. Please don't hate me. Also, if anyone wants to submit ideas for where they want this story to go, I love feedback. As always, please review. =)**

**Without further adieu...  
**

As Abby quietly watched the movie, she listened intently to Gibbs' heartbeat. She needed to hear the soft thumping of his heart in her ear drums to remind her that this wasn't a dream. _Thump. Thump. Pause. Thump. Thump. Pause._ His heart is one of her favorite things about him. On the outside, he is a tough marine who can tell when you're lying before you begin to speak. But on the inside, his heart bleeds for every victim he has ever seen and prays that in the end he has made a difference. She continually hopes that she can help heal his constantly bleeding heart.

He quietly appreciated all of her sensuous curves, no longer caring that he wasn't paying attention to the screen only a few feet on front of him. His eyes slid shut as he thought about how her breasts felt in his mouth with his tongue grazing across the tightened peaks. A small smile swept across his face as he thought of her straddling him, and his previously still hands suddenly began to wander her body. After finding the bottom of her shirt, his fingers slipped underneath the fabric finding the warmth of her skin and moved to slide up and down the front of her torso. Each time he reached her breasts, he purposely brushed against her nipples through the lace of her bra. He could hear the low gasps coming from her soft lips making it hard for her to continue to watch the movie. Her gasps turned into gentle moans and each was like a request, urging him to continue.

This time, he wasn't going to be rushed. He was going to take his time as his hands memorized every curve her body made. The last couple of times he had made love to her, it was more rushed than he would have liked. Their bodies were much too eager to reach the final result to properly catalog the hills and valleys of the other's body. His lips hovered over a small patch of skin by her neck just calling him to taste the sweetness that lingered there.

"Wait!" Gibbs looked at Abby quizzically. It was a little too late to back out of this now. But when he saw that smile creep across her face, he knew it was something he wouldn't regret. "I have a surprise for you. Give me five minutes to change."

"I don't know if I can wait five minutes, Abs."

"Trust me; you'll be so much happier that I made you wait for this. Besides, you can always keep yourself in the mood by imagining what I'm changing into." She winked at him for probably the hundredth time since he walked into her lab last night, and it still made him melt all over again. If she wasn't the woman for him, she would definitely be the death of him.

Before he could protest again, she jumped off the bed and grabbed her duffle bag from the corner of the room. After hoisting it onto her shoulder, she made a mad dash for the bathroom, and the door made a soft _'click'_ letting him know she locked it. Now all he could do was wait for her to return- and let his imagination run a little wild.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Tim McGee sat at his computer in a tee shirt and boxer shorts like he did on most other mornings before work, but today was different. He didn't have to show up at the Navy Yard for a full week, and as much as he loved to have the time off, he wasn't sure what to do with all of his free time. Most of his friends wouldn't have off from work during the week, and he hadn't been able to see them in a while since work got in the way recently.

He had been spending most of his time with Tony, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Palmer, and Gibbs. Not that it was a bad thing. He just started losing contact with many of his other friends. He decided this week he was going to change all of that. Putting on his headset with a little more determination than needed, he contacted 'Blue Leader' before spawning into the current game.

The game was simple enough, just a vamped up version of capture the flag. But this game had interesting characters. A few of the characters included an engineer who set up robots to shoot into the opposite team's territory, a scout who normally tried to defend his team's intelligence, a pyro who used a flame thrower on his enemies, and a spy who could disguise himself as a player from the opposite team. McGee liked to play the spy because he felt like he was playing an NCIS agent undercover. He was pretty good at being the spy. There were many times his team won the game because he could infiltrate the enemy's base without detection and make it back to his own base with the intelligence. This made him believe he could accomplish a real undercover job just as well as Tony could.

Tim never got to go undercover for an assignment. He was always back at headquarters with Abby doing surveillance or trying to track the suspect through GPS. Well, except that one time they let him play the waiter, but Tony and Ziva got to spend the whole night in a five star hotel which seemed grossly unfair.

"Blue Leader, this is Elf Lord. Do you copy?" As much as he hated to admit it, the name Elf Lord had become a big hit with his friends online. He used it as a joke one day, and his friends insisted he use it everyday since then.

"Elf Lord, I copy. What is your status?"

"I'm headed for the intelligence in their base; I'm going to need back up on my way out."

"Copy that, Elf Lord. Rendezvous point will be in the sewer system."

McGee slowly made his way through the game disguised as the opposing team's scout. He maneuvered through the maze-like sewer system with great speed and made it to the intelligence in no time. Once the intelligence was in hand, 'Elf Lord' made his way back to the sewer system to meet up with his team as his protection detail coming out of the sewers.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

As light continued to shine through the blinds in Tony's bedroom, his eyes began to flutter, and he was almost conscious. Unfortunately, the light that danced behind his closed lids did nothing to help with the pounding headache currently banging on his temples. He opened one eye to take in his surroundings and found himself naked in his bed, which was far from unusual on a Saturday morning. But what was unusual was the fact that the pillow next to his didn't smell like him. Bringing his nose down to the offending pillow case, he took a deeper whiff trying to decipher the scent and possibly if he could figure out whose scent it was. The scent was somewhat familiar to him, but he still couldn't quite place it. Suddenly, the previous night's events came flooding back to him. He and Ziva went out for drinks at the local watering hole, a bar/night club not far from Tony's place. They had invited the rest of the team to come, but no one showed. Then Ziva challenged him to see who could drink the most tequila without spilling the contents of their stomach on the floor. And somewhere in the haze of tequila shots, salt, and lime, Tony had looked at her only to find her smirking at him. He couldn't tell if her walls were finally crumbling after working with him for so long or if it was just the tequila talking, but all he could think about was how much he wanted to show her that he really loved her.

At the moment, though, he was thoroughly confused. He knew she must have spent the night because he could smell her on his pillow, but neither her body nor her clothes were anywhere to be found. He finally opened the other eye in a slight panic until something white caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Sitting there on the night stand was a white piece of paper with Ziva's handwriting scrawled all over it.

_Tony,_

_I ran out to the café down the street for some breakfast. I'll be back soon._

_-Ziva_

Tony continued to stare at the note, reading the script over and over, trying to break through the haze of his hangover. Finally recognizing what the note said, he rolled out of bed in search of aspirin and a large glass of water to wash the fuzzy feeling out of his mouth. As he passed by the mirror, he glanced by his reflection to see that his hair couldn't have been in greater disarray and some of the wrinkles from the pillow were even imprinted on his face. Upon further scrutiny, he also recognized that he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and exhaustion from the previous weeks. And even though he thought he looked like a hobo, a great big smile was plastered across his face that he just couldn't seem to shrink.

Shaking himself out of his trance, Tony padded into his kitchen in his bare feet and loose fitting boxers. He reached for a glass in the cabinet by the refrigerator and quickly searched for any sort of aspirin he could find in his apartment. Not being able to find the bottle he could have sworn he left in his medicine cabinet, he decided to forgo the pills and try an old college trick- Gatorade and a B-12 vitamin. He never really understood why it worked, but he didn't question the powers of the mixture.

A few minutes later, the front door creaked slightly, and Ziva slipped into the apartment with a white plastic bag in her hand. She giggled slightly at the fact that Tony looked so bad from their previous night of binge drinking, but knew he must be feeling pretty badly. Taking pity on the poor soul, she pulled a breakfast burrito out of the bag and handed it to her partner. He smiled at her in thanks and grabbed her wrist to pull her into a hug. She froze slightly, not quite sure how she should respond. She had been wondering all morning if last night had meant anything between the two, but figured Tony would be Tony…a new girl every chance he could get.

He realized that he stiffened in his arms and pulled back slightly to observe the look on her face. Her face wasn't quite pained, but something was still off. Normally, her features are a little softer, her eyes not quite so saddened. As he analyzed her stance and her face, he realized that she seemed to be bracing herself for something, but he had no idea what it was.

"Ziva…?"

"Yes?"

"What's wrong? You look like someone's about to give you bad news." Tony gazed into her dark eyes trying to decipher what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.

"Nothing, Tony. I'm fine." She attempted to give him a sweet smile, but it came out more as a grimace. Even she didn't believe her fake smile, which was completely unusual for her. She could normally lie her way out of anything, but she didn't want to lie to Tony anymore. Above all things, she wanted to tell him everything she's been feeling over the past few years, but just couldn't quite form the words.

"Ziva, I know you. You're lying to me. You know how I can tell? Your normal poker face is slightly off. A little wrinkle forms next to your left eyebrow, and your eyes couldn't possibly look sadder than they do at this moment. Please, tell me what's going on." He hated to see her so sad, but he also hated that she felt like she couldn't tell him everything. After last night, Tony had been hoping that he'd finally break through the slightly frigid confines of her heart. He knew she wasn't a cold person like so many people had originally thought when she had first come to NCIS. Yes, she seemed to have brushed a few people off and hadn't exactly started on the right foot with Abby, but somehow he knew it was just a front after all of the events that had happened at that time. Part of her had been broken, and all he wanted to do was put her back together again. God, he was so in love with her.

"Tony, it's not important. Really, it's nothing." Ziva was becoming nervous because he was looking at her very suspiciously. She normally had a very good poker face, but her emotions were flying wildly out of control right now.

"Ziva, please. Your big beautiful eyes are dripping in sadness. I want to see them dance like they normally do when I look into them. Do you feel funny after what happened last night?"

"I…I don't feel funny. Just curious, I guess." She could barely look at him anymore. She peered up at him through her thick, dark lashes in hopes of finding the reaction to her statement. But he just looked puzzled.

"I thought last night was pretty clear. I asked you out, and you accepted. We then drank ourselves into a drunken stupor and came back to my place to express our feelings in a purely physical manner. Did I miss anything?" His eyes were still clouded with slight confusion, desperately trying to think if he had forgotten anything about their night together. But Ziva was stunned. She had originally accepted the invitation out assuming he considered them friends and nothing more.

"Actually, I think you did miss a big part of the night," she replied slyly. Something about the curve of her mouth and the sparkle in her eye made him think she was teasing him but couldn't help himself from asking her anyway.

"Oh yeah? What have I forgotten?"

"You danced with a man in a sombrero while singing Margaritaville. And you may have also taken your shirt off at that point. It was quite interesting how many women and _men_ tried to tip you after your performance." A full fledged grin was plastered across her face now. She couldn't hold it back if she tried.

"Well, I'm so thankful you were there to enjoy the show," he teased back. But his eyes softened slightly and his look became more serious. "Ziva, I really want you to know what last night meant to me. I have been meaning to just come out and tell you exactly what I've been thinking about you for months- no, years now. I adore the fact that when you know you're right about something, your eyes squint a little more than they normally do, and the most adorable smirk displays itself across your face. The fact that you get even the most obvious English idioms is ridiculously cute, and I sometimes wish I could get away with not correcting you. And you being able to absolutely kick my ass doesn't frighten me, but make me respect you that much more. I guess what I've been trying to say is that I really enjoy spending my time with you, and I greatly wish we could spend some time together outside of work so I can know everything about you." Some time during his speech, his hands slid from her back to cup the back of her head. He continued to stare deep into her eyes trying to portray exactly how much he needed her in his life. He could never want anyone but her.

Ziva just smiled and said, "Well, I guess we can talk under breakfast."

Tony just looked at her and smiled, keeping his thoughts to himself…for now.


End file.
